The New York senator’s presidential campaign announced a fundraising coup Thursday, projecting they would rake in $35 million for the month of February, her biggest haul to date.
Fox seems to think Clinton is down, but not out. They forgot that money doesn't matter if you can't actually win primaries.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Minuteman Article: Shays on McCain
My most recent article for the Minuteman is here. Don't bother clicking on it, just read it here:
In an interview with the Minuteman last Wednesday, Republican Congressman Christopher Shays defended presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, and spoke in detail about their mutually sponsored Campaign Finance Law, a law for which John McCain is taking heat from hardcore conservatives.
Shays, often tagged as a maverick along with McCain for his willingness to go against the conservative grain, sponsored the Campaign Finance Law in the House, and has fervently defended it since.
Shays also explained McCain's undeniable passion and willingness to fight for what he believes in, regardless of the opposition. "The man was a prisoner of war, tortured for six years," Shays explained, "So when a conservative senator confronts him on his supposedly liberal record, he isn't scared." Shays also vocalized his support of McCain, mentioning, "He will make a strong candidate, and hopefully a strong president."
The Campaign Finance Law, passed in 2002, had two major impacts. It limited the amount of money an individual can give to a political organization for use in an election campaign, and it limited time before an election in which advertisements may be placed in print or on television in support of a particular candidate. A segment of the latter was ruled unconstitutional in the 2007 Supreme Court ruling, Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.
Ironically, just one day after last Wednesday's interview, The New York Times published a controversial article that has hurt McCain in more ways than one. The article, alleging that John McCain had an "inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist" eight years ago, has done almost as much damage to his campaign as many of the conservatives taking aim at his moderate views. The Times front page article had a huge impact on McCain's integral reputation, and possibly the outcome of the election. According to McCain's own law, however, he would be incapable of publishing an advertisement defending himself any less than thirty days before an upcoming primary in that very same paper.
With this as an example, McCain has been attacked by many conservatives for limiting free speech.
"What the far right of my party is trying to do," Shays explained, "Is make you believe that [the law] is a violation of free speech. It's not." He went on to explain that by putting a limit on campaign funding and advertising, the law restores power to the individual, no matter their financial situation. If one person can donate more money and have a greater influence in an election than another simply because they are wealthy, essentially what that is, is support of an elitist government," he said. He also made evident the concept that the law limits the influence of money in politics. "To many [campaigning] politicians, dirty money is better than no money," he said, adding that a victorious politician won't forget where campaign money came from.
Shays certainly has earned the right to talk about dirty campaigning. In his successful bid for reelection in 2006, Shays won by just 3 percent. In an election that came down to the bitter end, Shays absolutely refused to use negative advertising and mudslinging despite strong urging from his advisers to do so.
When talk came up of simply exposing where campaign monies come from, Shays quickly pointed out that this would not suffice, saying, "Repaying a donation can be as simple as keeping legislation off the floor [of Congress]. That type of thing will never make it outside our walls. Those underground things never get discovered by anyone in the main stream media."
McCain's legislation is being harshly criticized by conservatives and enjoyed with a smirk by liberals.
Did I have to quote myself? I mean, I put it in italics, but I don't think I needed to. Oh well.
In an interview with the Minuteman last Wednesday, Republican Congressman Christopher Shays defended presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, and spoke in detail about their mutually sponsored Campaign Finance Law, a law for which John McCain is taking heat from hardcore conservatives.
Shays, often tagged as a maverick along with McCain for his willingness to go against the conservative grain, sponsored the Campaign Finance Law in the House, and has fervently defended it since.
Shays also explained McCain's undeniable passion and willingness to fight for what he believes in, regardless of the opposition. "The man was a prisoner of war, tortured for six years," Shays explained, "So when a conservative senator confronts him on his supposedly liberal record, he isn't scared." Shays also vocalized his support of McCain, mentioning, "He will make a strong candidate, and hopefully a strong president."
The Campaign Finance Law, passed in 2002, had two major impacts. It limited the amount of money an individual can give to a political organization for use in an election campaign, and it limited time before an election in which advertisements may be placed in print or on television in support of a particular candidate. A segment of the latter was ruled unconstitutional in the 2007 Supreme Court ruling, Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.
Ironically, just one day after last Wednesday's interview, The New York Times published a controversial article that has hurt McCain in more ways than one. The article, alleging that John McCain had an "inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist" eight years ago, has done almost as much damage to his campaign as many of the conservatives taking aim at his moderate views. The Times front page article had a huge impact on McCain's integral reputation, and possibly the outcome of the election. According to McCain's own law, however, he would be incapable of publishing an advertisement defending himself any less than thirty days before an upcoming primary in that very same paper.
With this as an example, McCain has been attacked by many conservatives for limiting free speech.
"What the far right of my party is trying to do," Shays explained, "Is make you believe that [the law] is a violation of free speech. It's not." He went on to explain that by putting a limit on campaign funding and advertising, the law restores power to the individual, no matter their financial situation. If one person can donate more money and have a greater influence in an election than another simply because they are wealthy, essentially what that is, is support of an elitist government," he said. He also made evident the concept that the law limits the influence of money in politics. "To many [campaigning] politicians, dirty money is better than no money," he said, adding that a victorious politician won't forget where campaign money came from.
Shays certainly has earned the right to talk about dirty campaigning. In his successful bid for reelection in 2006, Shays won by just 3 percent. In an election that came down to the bitter end, Shays absolutely refused to use negative advertising and mudslinging despite strong urging from his advisers to do so.
When talk came up of simply exposing where campaign monies come from, Shays quickly pointed out that this would not suffice, saying, "Repaying a donation can be as simple as keeping legislation off the floor [of Congress]. That type of thing will never make it outside our walls. Those underground things never get discovered by anyone in the main stream media."
McCain's legislation is being harshly criticized by conservatives and enjoyed with a smirk by liberals.
Did I have to quote myself? I mean, I put it in italics, but I don't think I needed to. Oh well.
Prince Harry in Afghanistan
British Royal Prince Harry has been fighting in Afghanistan since late December -- and has been directly involved in gun battle, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
The International Herald Tribune wrote a direct message to Drudge, ridiculing his exposure of Harry. Ironically, in doing so they gave away his location.
The International Herald Tribune wrote a direct message to Drudge, ridiculing his exposure of Harry. Ironically, in doing so they gave away his location.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Oh, Those Baby-Killing Israelis
Israeli aircraft attacked the empty office of Gaza's Hamas prime minister and the nearby Interior Ministry building late Wednesday, and Palestinians said the blasts killed a baby and wounded two dozen people in the surrounding area.
How convenient it is for Palestinian press that it killed a baby. I just want to know what a baby was doing near an exploding building.
How convenient it is for Palestinian press that it killed a baby. I just want to know what a baby was doing near an exploding building.
McCain v. Obama Debate
A hypothetical debate between Obama and McCain on Iraq:
To begin with, [Obama is] stuck with the position of running down a war in which our military is currently engaged. That defeatism takes more than simply a rhetorical flourish from a gifted speaker to pull off, once they are addressing people outside the Democrat base. In a debate extended over a Fall campaign, McCain also has the ability to remind people of the true lay of the land circa 2003, when Saddam was ignoring every sanction and profiting from a corrupt UN Oil for Food program.
McCain can factually be on the ball, but the second Barack brings up the hundred years' war comment, McCain is screwed.
To begin with, [Obama is] stuck with the position of running down a war in which our military is currently engaged. That defeatism takes more than simply a rhetorical flourish from a gifted speaker to pull off, once they are addressing people outside the Democrat base. In a debate extended over a Fall campaign, McCain also has the ability to remind people of the true lay of the land circa 2003, when Saddam was ignoring every sanction and profiting from a corrupt UN Oil for Food program.
McCain can factually be on the ball, but the second Barack brings up the hundred years' war comment, McCain is screwed.
A Pre-School Teacher Gets Even With Her Students
Watch this CNN video, where a preschool teacher is secretly recorded by parents, and calls her students "stupid."
That gets a teacher fired? I hear that on a daily basis. Granted, I'm not four.
And a direct quote from the video: "You kids are mean to me, so I get to be mean to you."
That gets a teacher fired? I hear that on a daily basis. Granted, I'm not four.
And a direct quote from the video: "You kids are mean to me, so I get to be mean to you."
Bobby Cutts Jr.
Bobby Cutts, Jr. gets life.
Sort of.
It's looking like he'll be able to get out when he's 86, but somehow I don't think he'll live that long. I watched the sentencing a few minutes ago and realized Bobby didn't have a great day.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Islamic Gym
Harvard University has moved to make Muslim women more comfortable in the gym by instituting women-only access times six hours a week to accommodate religious customs that make it difficult for some students to work out in the presence of men.
Men have not been allowed to enter the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center during certain times since Jan. 28, after members of the Harvard Islamic Society and the Harvard Women’s Center petitioned the university for a more comfortable environment for women.
Men have not been allowed to enter the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center during certain times since Jan. 28, after members of the Harvard Islamic Society and the Harvard Women’s Center petitioned the university for a more comfortable environment for women.
LGF: "Harvard Sharia Watch"
Combat Robot
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA (which brought you a little thing called the Internet), has nearly finished work on the Crusher, a six-wheeled robot that rolls through ditches, walls, streams, other vehicles and almost anything else that gets in its way.
Read it.
"This vehicle can go into places where, if you were following in a Humvee, you'd come out with spinal injuries"
-Stephen Welby
I Could Go Unoriginal, But I Won't
I was considering calling this post "An Inconvenient Truth," but I decided that would be too original. Anyway:
"All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously... The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down."
Liberals will thank a new effort to hold back on carbon emissions, etc. Somehow, I don't think there were so fewer carbon emissions this year than there were in 1908 that we actually knocked global warming back a full century.
"All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously... The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down."
Liberals will thank a new effort to hold back on carbon emissions, etc. Somehow, I don't think there were so fewer carbon emissions this year than there were in 1908 that we actually knocked global warming back a full century.
Rough Day
I go to a private high school. It costs $15,000 a year. I therefore think it would be expected for it to be possible to meet my required credits by graduation, considering all circumstances normal.
Well, it's not.
Going into our senior year, all students have space for at least one elective and one free period. I decided to give up my free period to take another elective; an art class. I enjoy art, and I will be the editor of the yearbook, so that is where we typically work anyway. So, I filled my free period with an overload class, that doesn't count as a credit. On top of that, we had the electives lottery today. We were all assigned a random number in no particular order (not based on GPA or alphabetically, etc), and there were five elective classes. We were called up in order to choose our classes. I had one of the last ten picks. My personal first choice, sociology, filled up in a matter of minutes. My second choice, an additional english course, filled up before my turn as well. In fact, EVERYTHING was filled by the time it was my turn.
That's right. They didn't actually have enough classes for the students in our school. They didn't hire enough teachers for the classes next year. Good to know the $15,000 is being spent well.
Well, it's not.
Going into our senior year, all students have space for at least one elective and one free period. I decided to give up my free period to take another elective; an art class. I enjoy art, and I will be the editor of the yearbook, so that is where we typically work anyway. So, I filled my free period with an overload class, that doesn't count as a credit. On top of that, we had the electives lottery today. We were all assigned a random number in no particular order (not based on GPA or alphabetically, etc), and there were five elective classes. We were called up in order to choose our classes. I had one of the last ten picks. My personal first choice, sociology, filled up in a matter of minutes. My second choice, an additional english course, filled up before my turn as well. In fact, EVERYTHING was filled by the time it was my turn.
That's right. They didn't actually have enough classes for the students in our school. They didn't hire enough teachers for the classes next year. Good to know the $15,000 is being spent well.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Giving the Numbers
It's a little later than I would have liked, but here it is. Obama broke it open all the way:
McCain is in for the fight of his life if he hasn't already lost.
McCain is in for the fight of his life if he hasn't already lost.
Bloomberg: Nader Can Run
Good...
"I've just never understood why, just because you're a member of a party, you have special rights," Bloomberg said. "That's not the civics that I learned in junior high school, and if Ralph Nader wants to run, good luck to him."
Read it.
"I've just never understood why, just because you're a member of a party, you have special rights," Bloomberg said. "That's not the civics that I learned in junior high school, and if Ralph Nader wants to run, good luck to him."
Read it.
Clinton Staffers Circulate Obama Picture, I Circulate My Own
Drudge did a piece on Hillary staffers circulating this picture of Barack Obama in Kenya:
A Clinton staffer is outraged: Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?
Well, to be honest with you, yes, I'm sure it would make front page. In fact, I see it now:
I guess the point is yes, we would see Hillary on the cover of every magazine had she dressed in traditional male atti... oh, wait... I guess the point is no, we wouldn't.
There aren't enough magazines to cover all the pictures of Hillary dressed in traditional male attire.
A Clinton staffer is outraged: Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?
Well, to be honest with you, yes, I'm sure it would make front page. In fact, I see it now:
I guess the point is yes, we would see Hillary on the cover of every magazine had she dressed in traditional male atti... oh, wait... I guess the point is no, we wouldn't.
There aren't enough magazines to cover all the pictures of Hillary dressed in traditional male attire.
Hamas in Jordan
Jordan's military prosecutor on Monday charged five men with acquiring secret information that could jeopardize the safety of the kingdom.
Info and opinions from Holger Awakens.
Info and opinions from Holger Awakens.
American Faithful
More than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion, according to a new survey of religious affiliation by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
While how many of the rest actually made a conscious decision to stick with their childhood religion still remains in the dark, it can't be higher than half. That means that regarding religion, we've improved to about a third of Americans actually thinking for themselves. It's bittersweet, at best.
Read it.
While how many of the rest actually made a conscious decision to stick with their childhood religion still remains in the dark, it can't be higher than half. That means that regarding religion, we've improved to about a third of Americans actually thinking for themselves. It's bittersweet, at best.
Read it.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Back to School
It was a fun week long vacation, but it's back to school tomorrow. ugh... grades, school, work. No good.
Wish me luck.
Wish me luck.
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